Ex-CENTAL Chief, Thomas Doe Nah, Heads LRA

President George Manneh Weah has appointed anti corruption and integrity advocate, Thomas Doe-Nah as the new Commissioner- General of the Liberia Revenue Authority.

The appointment of Mr. Doe-Nah and his Deputy for Technical services, Decontee King-Sackie, was announced through an Executive Mansion release late Tuesday evening. Their appointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

With this appointment, Mr. Doe-Nah, co-founder of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), replaces Madam Elfrieda Stewart Tamba whose tenure ended on June 30 this year. Madam Stewart Tamba, who many believe did a great job at the LRA, served from July 2014 June, 2018. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Minister for Revenue at the Ministry of Finance from 2006 to 2012.

Her successor, Thomas Doe Nah, last worked with the Liberia outpost of the Carter Center, a not-for-profit organization founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter in 1982 with a goal to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering globally.

He recently joined The Center to lead its efforts to advance accountability, transparency, and the right of access to information (ATI) in Liberia.

Doe-Nah, for the last ten years, has, through his CENTAL and other initiatives, been in the vanguard of fighting corruption and advocating for systems that promote accountability.

The LRA, which he has been called to head, is a critical component of the country’s financial system, responsible to collect Government revenue.

Established through an Act of the National Legislature in 2013, the LRA began operations on July 1, 2014 as a semi-autonomous agency of Government. The LRA has as its core mandate the responsibility to administer and enforce the country’s Revenue Code (of 2000 as amended in 2011), and other related laws under which it operates. It is for the purpose of assessing, collecting, auditing and accounting for all national revenues and for facilitating legitimate international trade through border management and enforcement

Doe-Nah comes to the job with a wealth of experience, having co-founded CENTAL and served as its executive director for years. He is a student leader, a banker, a social and economic activist.

He formerly worked in the Economic and Commercial Section of the United States Embassy in Monrovia.

During that period, he analyzed the economic and commercial transactional issues in the political economy of Liberia for the United States Government and was an active participant in key economic governance initiative.

He participated on the Technical Team of the Governance Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP) as well as the Steering committee of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) — two anti graft institutions established during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

He is also credited with eight years of progressive work in Liberia’s banking sector having served as vice president at the International Bank Liberia Limited and Loan Officer at the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment.

He was also a student leader at the state-run University of Liberia, where he obtained his undergraduate degree. He is also a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Madam Decontee King-Sackie is retained as Deputy Commissioner General for Technical Services, LRA

His principal assistant, Deputy Commissioner General for Technical Services, Mrs. King-Sackie, who has served at the LRA since 2014, was re-nominated to the post by President Weah. She had previously served as Assistant Minister for Revenue at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP).

During the years, Mrs. King-Sackie was responsible to formulate policies and strategies for the Collection and Accounting of all Government of Liberia Tax and Non-Tax Revenue; to appraise all business processes such as registration of taxpayers and the Tax Roll, audits, filing monitoring, refunds, enforcement among others.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether the new LRA head will address public concerns about ‘double taxation’ being carried out under the guise of what LRA officials call “Destination Inspection”. Under this regime, according to customs brokers, the obligatory BIVAC Clean Report of Findings (CRF) detailing origin, cost and applicable duty are arbitrarily set aside in favor of assessment by LRA personnel using a “Blue Book” to determine applicable duty payments which are very often on the high side.

9 COMMENTS

Could this be the rationale behind the advocacies over the years? It is disappointing that rights advocates will have different intent and use human rights advocacy on the top to seek public positions. This is the same thing Dan Saryee did to take on a deputy position at the Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation. Do you people expect the ordinary people to trust your advocacies? Well, Mr. Doe Nah, prove your transparency at this crucial LRA that your political party’s members have long pleaded for to be turned over to them. We hope the best will come out to extend massive developments to the south-east.

Meahkeeh, even before co-founding CENTAL, this Brother has proven his transparency & brightness at all places he had ever worked, to name a few, International Bank Liberia, US Embassy, Carter Center (ATI) etc. I’m of no doubt that his presence along with other qualified and competent Liberians already at the LRA will yield better results.

Congratulations Thomas Nah. They say good deeds never go unnoticed. I remembered your timely contribution to our Student council party in 2003 through Jefferson Koigee now Mayor of Monrovia and your strong advocacy on transprrancy and good governance in Liberia likewise your financial knowledge and discipline. Go and bring the government its needed revenue to keep liberia alive. Keep your principles of accountability and implementation firm to be the best as you have always been. Wish you the best in your new national endeavors.

Hi Kissi, You are a bitter and jealous clown as well when you don’t understand nothing about leadership and being in the forefront of national task. I realized that you have provided nothing to demonstrate Mayor Koigee inability as a Mayor of Liberia. When did Jeff tell you or demonstrated that being Mayor of Monrovia was big for him? If you are honest, patriotic and committed with education, you could be a Mayor like Koigee. Jefferson is educated and strong for his job as far as I can see. The last time I checked the constitution, there was no deemed college education requirement attached to being a Mayor of Liberia. Though he is in pursuant of his college education, there is no impairment to his preferment by President George Weah based on ability and lawful requirement. Where were you when Koigee went to Morocco and ably represented Liberia as Mayor? I sometimes wonder why we as young people cannot take cue from such a splendid young man that has eaten with elders and stood the test of time to be where he is today? It is unfortunate for you to come up with maligned conclusions about the Gender Ministry where again you sound like a side walk mentally challenged who is filled with perplexities. Come up with reasonable assertions based on evidence than you can be validated, until then, keep quiet and let the young folks like you do their work.

Mr. Kissi, sometimes when you see a posting and don’t have anything to positively offer, don’t say anything. You are criticizing Monrovia City Mayor Koijee and calling him a clown but you have no proof of why you are calling him clown. The job of a president, the job of a mayor does not have an educational requirements in Liberia. Are you jealous because a young man by far younger than you was appointed to a senior level post in the government? People should graduate from those types of attitude. Jefferson Koijee is well gifted by God, the young men is very outspoken and he has done nothing to deserve how you called him. If you have the qualification that the government needs, talk to someone for help. I am not even going to give your statement about Gender Ministry any credence, because there is no truth to that statement as well.

It is becoming obvious by the count that the majority of these appointments are either CDCians or Kru. Don’t people have problem with that? The TRC report even though not yet enforced, but reminds us of these same nefarious conduct of past leaders indulging tribalism, which was one of the bones of contention belying the brutalities carried out during our uncivil war. Don’t we mind the obvious repeat of those detested tendencies? We shouldn’t, if you ask me.

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